Do you hear what I hear?
Riding a wave of goodwill following the success of “In The Lonely Hour,” his debut album, and its clutch of Grammy nominations, British crooner Sam Smith has released a cover of Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas. Smith’s vocals, while warm, are tinged with melancholy, lending an air of nostalgia to his barebones version. It seems that wistfulness was what he was going for. According to independent pop music site Idolator, the singer chose to remake this holiday staple as an homage to Judy Garland’s role in the 1944 film Meet Me in St. Louis.
Those who yearn for something less sappy to listen to this season would do well to check the recent rerecording of John Lennon’s holiday tune Happy Xmas (War Is Over). The Flaming Lips take it one step further by recruiting Lennon’s widow Yoko Ono, resulting in a rather trippy rendition. It may not be what you’re used to — which is the point — but at least it’s guaranteed to break the ice at your next Christmas get-together.
DECEMBER PLAYLIST
If you want to dig deeper for new songs to add to your December playlist, there’s 2,000 Miles by Mark Kozelek, lead singer of the notoriously grumpy indie-folk band Sun Kil Moon (and Red House Painters before that). While you’re at it, see if you prefer that to the still-underrated Pretenders original from 1983. For fans of Americana there’s Robert Ellis’s Pretty Paper, an update of the 1979 Willie Nelson classic about holiday consumerism done right. And unlike the usual yuletide fare, Talkin’ Christmas! by the Blind Boys of Alabama and Ta Mahal evokes the spirit of the season with a blues-meets-gospel sound.
Then again, the festive period isn’t always filled with good music. Like an unwanted present from an obnoxious relation you try and avoid at family gatherings, the Vengaboys have unleashed Where Did My Xmas Tree Go? Depending on the type of ‘90s kid you are, the name “Vengaboys” — and talk of their signature kitschy beats — will either conjure memories of a carefree childhood or send you down a wormhole of woe to 1997.
PROFESSIONAL WARBLERS
A cappella covers of popular songs, usually by excessively eager college-age chorales, are already quite terrible. (See: Pentatonix.) Professional warblers Straight No Chaser proved that things can get a lot worse by hiring Kristen Bell — the voice of Anna in the despicable Frozen — on Text Me Merry Christmas, an ode to these selfie-obsessed times.
Nothing, however, is more loathsome than an entire Christmas album by the lady behind Let It Go, this year’s most annoying song. On Holiday Wishes, Broadway belter Idina Menzel gives a swing-time makeover to Mariah Carey’s All I Want For Christmas Is You, which turns 20 this year but remains far superior to any 21st century reincarnation. Suddenly, Ariana Grande’s feel-good Santa Tell Me, with its bells, piano and backing choir, doesn’t seem that derivative even if it’s all been done before — just don’t say by whom.
ALL-STAR TRIBUTES
In terms of all-star tributes, this season was off to a fantastic start. In October the BBC unveiled its megastar-laden re-recording of God Only Knows to mark the launch of BBC Music. While the 1966 Beach Boys song may not be top of mind when it comes to holiday tunes, its ambitious accompanying video filmed at the disused Alexandra Palace theater in London sets a lavish and somewhat celebratory tone. The array of performers — from One Direction, Stevie Wonder and Pharrell Williams to Lorde, Florence Welch and Kylie Minogue, among others — made it feel like an event.
Then it went slightly sour. A month ago, Band Aid released a reboot of its charity song Do They Know It’s Christmas?, the third version since it first came out in 1984. This time, instead of aiming to fight famine in Ethiopia, it’s about drawing attention to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. Thirty years on, however, the question that the song poses still haunts the holiday season.
A lot of it has to do with its patronizing, racist message. Do They Know It’s Christmas? lumps the people and nations of the African continent into a single, imaginary hellhole in need of rich Christian white saviors. According to the US new site Global Post, “The song is so close to self-parody that it’s hard to distinguish it from the many parodies that have since tried to reveal the harmful racial stereotypes behind earnest musical sentiments.” Certainly, there are better Christmas singles out there that won’t cause as much emotional distress.
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